While the agitation by the local residents of Ramanthali here demanding closure of the Indian Naval Academy’s (INA) sewage treatment plant (STP) continues, the expert committee constituted by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has come out with recommendations to solve the pollution issue.
The ongoing agitation, launched by the Janakeeya Arogya Samrakshana Samithi (JASS) over two months ago, has already drawn State-wide attention, with environmental groups and social activists visiting the venue of the agitation in front of the INA’s entrance at Ramanthali to express their solidarity. The latest to visit the site is film actor and Rajya Sabha member Suresh Gopi. Addressing the protesting residents before meeting the INA officials, he said he would brief Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
Expert committee chairman M.C. Dattan, who is also Scientific Adviser to the Chief Minister, and convener K. Sajeevan, who is chairman of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), informed in an official press release that the INA authorities had assured that the recommendations in the panel’s report would be implemented. Disclosing that they had made five proposals in the report for solving the pollution issue, they said the INA authorities agreed to them and assured that a time-bound plan for implementing them would be submitted soon.
Proposals
The INA authorities had also assured that the capacity of the existing STP would not be enhanced and that new STP required to meet requirements of future expansion of the academy would be constructed only in the area to be identified by the KSPCB, they informed. The existing plant would be closed in a phased manner once the new plant was operational, they added. The panel’s proposals included works to stop seepage in the STP, involvement of the KSPCB officials and Ramanthali panchayat representatives to ensure that there was no seepage after the works, installation of air blowers, further chlorination of the treated water and display of the quality of treated water, among others.
Meanwhile the National Green Tribunal Southern Zone, Chennai, in its order dated April 27, directed the INA to show cause in 10 days why an order shall not be passed to stop the operation of the STP. The KSPCB was also directed to report on the action taken pursuant to its notice to the INA on February 22 on the STP’s operation. In that notice, the KSPCB directed the INA to show cause as to why the board should not proceed against the INA for violation of the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986. As per the report of the KSPCB, no mandatory consent had been taken by the INA for the operation of the INA.
